Patrick Goldstein and James Raineyon entertainment and media

'American Idol's' Siobhan Magnus steals the Rolling Stones show

March 17, 2010 | 3:29
pm

I have to admit that I was dreading the whole "American Idol" revisits the Rolling Stones night, because, well, could there be any band that -- in its prime -- was the exact opposite of the cheerful, wide-eyed and well-scrubbed cherubs who populate this year's Idol crew? And yikes! Some of those attempts to scale Mt. Jagger were pretty awful, starting with Lacey Brown's hilariously inept take on "Ruby Tuesday," which seemed to have been inspired by a rendition she once saw by a cocktail waitress at a Holiday Inn. (Wouldn't you love to see Brown take a swipe at the national anthem just for sport?)

But how about that Siobhan Magnus? She belted out a phenomenal version of "Paint It Black," playing up the operatic subtext of the song, although she still hinted at the original's brooding dark side. For a fuller explanation of Magnus' effort, please read this post from my colleague Ann Powers, who has a far more articulate take on the whole affair, especially when it comes to the racial underpinnings of Paige Miles' rendition of "Honky Tonk Woman." But I'm down with Magnus, who seems to be the most versatile, not to mention inspired singer of this year's crop.